Apple's new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and the 12.3-inch Microsoft Surface Pro have more in common than just size. As the "Pro" in their names indicate, both tabletsare targeted toward professional users—people who need a slate for media consumption and productivity.

With both devices, you get a keyboard, stylus, powerful processors, and tons of storage, potentially allowing them to serve as laptop replacements. Read on to see how the two powerful tablets compare.

Design and Ports

The iPad Pro and Surface Pro differ in form factor but have some elements in common. With the iPad Pro, you get Apple's classic, slim aluminum-unibody build with rounded corners, a glass front, and a range of color options including Space Gray, Rose Gold, Gold, and Silver.

The Surface Pro similarly boasts a premium design with a platinum-colored magnesium alloy exterior, but its edges are more square and there's no additional color choice. On the other hand, you can buy Alcantara-clad Signature Type Covers ($160) that come in Platinum, Burgundy, and Cobalt Blue, providing a unique look and cushy suede-like surface around the keys and touchpad.

Both are high-quality, good-looking slates, so aesthetics will largely come down to personal preference. Size is the bigger differentiator.

The iPad Pro measures 12.0 by 8.68 by 0.27 inches (HWD) and weighs in at 1.49 pounds for the Wi-Fi model and 1.53 pounds for LTE. The Surface Pro is slightly smaller, measuring 11.5 by 7.9 by 0.33 inches and weighing 1.73 pounds without the Type Cover keyboard case. Both are lightweight enough to be portable, but you'll likely want a carrying case or bag.

When it comes to ports, the Surface Pro makes a stronger argument as a laptop replacement. You get a USB 3.0 port, a mini DisplayPort, a 3.5mm audio jack, a microSDXC card reader, and a connector for power and docking. There's also a built-in kickstand. The only things missing are USB-C or Thunderbolt 3. By contrast, the iPad Pro has only an Apple proprietary Lightning port and a 3.5mm audio jack, so you can't hook up an extra monitor or wired accessories. Both devices have dual stereo speakers on both sides.

Display

Display resolution on both slates is excellent. The Surface Pro has a 12.3-inch Pixel Sense Display with a 2,736-by-1,824 resolution (267 pixels per inch), the same as the previous generation. Colors are bright and viewing angles are top notch. Contrast is high and the screen cuts down on the glare, with text and video looking crisp. That's good because the built-in kickstand lets you tilt it to a full 165 degrees when placed on a flat surface.

The iPad Pro features a 12.9-inch Retina panel with a resolution of 2,732 by 2,048. That gives it a density of 264ppi, slightly less than the smaller Surface Pro screen. You'll also get excellent color reproduction and contrast due to the wide color gamut, True Tone, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, lamination, and anti-reflective coating. It's also brighter and dynamically adjusts white balance for better outdoor viewing.

Where the iPad Pro might have the advantage is fluidity and screen responsiveness. It has ProMotion, a technology that allows for a refresh rate of 120Hz. This makes scrolling more fluid, and reduces latency when using the Apple Pencil to draw. ProMotion can also reduce power consumption by adjusting display refresh rate to match the movement of the content, increasing refresh when playing games and reducing it for basic web browsing.

We'll have to take a look at both slates side by side, but if smoothness and outdoor visibility are important to you, the iPad Pro may have the advantage.

Processor, Battery, and Camera

Performance is difficult to judge without running benchmarks and because the Surface Pro has a number of different configurations. In its fully specced-out configuration, you can have a seventh-gen Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 card, and a 1TB SSD. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1. All this makes for a pretty powerful device, which should be 20 percent faster than last year's Surface Pro 4, which was powerful enough to run games like Civilization and Football Manager.

The iPad Pro is no slouch either. While it doesn't have a desktop-grade chipset, the Apple A10X Fusion is a powerful processor with 64-bit architecture. It outstrips the blazing fast A10 on the iPhone 7 and should be able to handle just about anything you can throw at it in terms of multitasking and gaming. There's also dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2.

According to Microsoft, the Surface Pro should last for nine to 13 hours of usage, which is an impressive runtime for a large, bright display and should exceed the battery life of its predecessor. Apple claims a similar figure for the iPad Pro, claiming 10 hours of usage when surfing the web on Wi-Fi, watching video, or listening to music. We'll have to reserve judgment until we get a chance to run our battery tests.

The Surface Pro has an 8-megapixel rear camera that's capable of 1080p video. That's not as high as the 12-megapixel rear camera and 4K video capabilities on the iPad Pro. Not only that, but Apple has added optical image stabilization, cutting down on blurry shots and improving low-light shooting. The iPad similarly has a 7-megapixel front-facing camera, letting it take sharper selfies and video than the Surface Pro's 5-megapixel front sensor.

Software and Accessories

Software ecosystem is the biggest differentiator between the Surface Pro and iPad Pro. The Surface Pro comes running Windows 10 Pro with enterprise security and protection from the Windows Hello logon that uses an IR camera to scan your face. There's no fingerprint sensor, though. Where the Surface Pro really shines is that you can run the entire Microsoft Office suite, along with Lightroom, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro, which lets you do everything from editing Word documents to cutting video. Accessories include the wireless Surface Pen, Keyboard, and Mouse.

The iPad Pro runs iOS 10, but it will get an update to iOS 11 in the fall, letting it take advantage of multitasking, drag and drop, and improved split-screen viewing of apps. Microsoft and Adobe apps provide similar functionality on the Surface Pro, but because the iPad runs iOS you won't be able to run any full version of a desktop application. Security is provided by Touch ID's fingerprint sensor.

Accessories are similar to the Surface Pro; you can get the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. There's no compatible mouse, though, again emphasizing that the iPad Pro runs a mobile OS and is not intended for desktops. All this means that for productivity, the Microsoft Surface Pro just can't be beat.

Comparisons and Conclusions

The new Surface Pro is available in a variety of configurations. The most affordable model starts at $799 and gives you a 128GB SSD, Intel Core m3 processor, and 4GB of RAM. If you need more power, the highest specced model has a 1TB SSD, Intel Core i7 processor, and 16GB of RAM for $2,699.

The iPad Pro has a similar starting price. For $799, you can get the 64GB Wi-Fi-only model; 512GB of storage will cost you $1,099 (Wi-Fi) or $1,299 (LTE), making it more affordable than the comparable Surface Pro, which is $2,199 for 512GB.

Related

That said, the two slates have different capabilities. Despite the new multi-tasking features coming this fall, the iPad Pro can't run desktop apps and doesn't work with a mouse. If you plan to do some serious typing, spreadsheets, and video editing, the Microsoft Surface Pro will give you more mileage. On the other hand, if you want a slate that gives you the best of both worlds with an equal focus on media consumption and productivity, the iPad Pro is a good option, especially if you're already in Apple's ecosystem.

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About the Author

Ajay Kumar is PCMag's Analyst obsessed with all things mobile. Ajay reviews phones, tablets, accessories, and just about any other gadget that can be carried around with you. In his spare time he games on the rig he built himself, collects Nintendo amiibos, and tries his hand at publishing a novel. Follow Ajay on Twitter @Ajay_H_Kumar.

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